NOTEBOOK CHECK SHEETS
I created notebook check sheets to assist with student organization and to help with my own lesson planning and organization. It turned out that the notebook check sheets were helpful in many other ways, including parent communications, make-up work, absent work, supervisor observations, posting on homework websites, and my own teacher evaluations. I could look back and see how long it took me to teach activities and lessons, so that I could use the information for future planning. This is because the notebook check sheets are a brief daily listing of everything we did in biology class. In the beginning it was a little more time consuming to set them up, but once I had the templates and lists of the activities, I could cut and paste lists for the next classes that I taught. I have notebook check sheets for classes that I taught, starting in about 2005. I am sharing some of my notebook check sheets and will upload more of them in the upcoming weeks.
I made the notebook check a weekly activity, which occurred on Thursdays at the beginning of class. I decided that I didn't want to waste paper, so on the back of the notebook check sheet, I copied a BrainPop quiz https://www.brainpop.com/ We would start out by watching a short BrainPop movie that matched the lesson topic and then students would "grade" their own notebook check sheets. Students were asked to check off what they had done and give themselves an "X," if they had not completed work, or were missing items that were supposed to be in their binder, or lab notebook. When you look as the notebook check sheets, you will see that the sheets list what should have been handed in, what should be in their science binder, and what should be in their lab notebook. The goal was to receive "Zero" X's. Students were given 10 participation points for completing the notebook check sheet and 10 points for the BrainPop quiz. We went over the answers, so most students enjoyed the activity because they got an easy "A" and yes, high school sophomores do like BrainPop. Older students could complete puzzles or readings - I just didn't want the back of the paper to go to waste, so that we were learning all the time. Because I weighted the grades, the participation points only added slightly to a student's grade. The parent signature was optional extra credit. Did students cheat on these sheets? Yes, and some learned that there were natural negative consequences from doing that. Mostly from when their parents found out that there were notebook check sheets that their child was supposed to be sharing, after a call home about falling or failing grades, open house, or conferences!
I hope that you will look at the notebook check sheets and come up with your own ideas about activities to teach and how to organize your lessons. If you use Schoology, maybe they can be modified for use online by students and parents.
Notebook Check Sheets for Biology I, 1st Semester 2015-2016
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mFbmU_yvqp1xJZTHFHQXoapQSetNTOIg/view?usp=sharing
Notebook Check Sheets for Biology I, 2nd Semester 2016
https://drive.google.com/file/d/14x2n6PvXjnUiFg9_fUtAG6nIRXPfih0D/view?usp=sharing
The Textbook referred to in the notebook check sheets is:
SEPUP. (2011). Science and Global Issues: Biology. Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California at Berkeley. Published by Lab-Aids, Inc., Ronkonkoma NY
I also used this textbook and the supplemental materials: Biggs, Alton et al. 1999. Glencoe Biology, The Dynamics of Life, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. ISBN-10:0028282426
There are some activities mentioned that you can find on this Blogger website. Post a comment if you have a question, I will gladly try to assist you.
CURRICULUM MAPS
During one of my observations, my supervisor played a trick on me. He asked if I had a curriculum map. I did not and was not familiar with them. Neither was anyone in the entire school! My supervisor put me on an improvement plan and I was given the task to create a curriculum map. He sent emailed me a template for making a curriculum map and he asked me to purchase the following book, telling me that I would be reimbursed for my expense (I was not!):
Jacobs, Heidi Hayes. 1997. Mapping the Big Picture: Integrating Curriculum and Assessment K-12. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Alexandria, Virginia USA. 72 pp. plus sample curriculum maps. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6068437625
I created notebook check sheets to assist with student organization and to help with my own lesson planning and organization. It turned out that the notebook check sheets were helpful in many other ways, including parent communications, make-up work, absent work, supervisor observations, posting on homework websites, and my own teacher evaluations. I could look back and see how long it took me to teach activities and lessons, so that I could use the information for future planning. This is because the notebook check sheets are a brief daily listing of everything we did in biology class. In the beginning it was a little more time consuming to set them up, but once I had the templates and lists of the activities, I could cut and paste lists for the next classes that I taught. I have notebook check sheets for classes that I taught, starting in about 2005. I am sharing some of my notebook check sheets and will upload more of them in the upcoming weeks.
I made the notebook check a weekly activity, which occurred on Thursdays at the beginning of class. I decided that I didn't want to waste paper, so on the back of the notebook check sheet, I copied a BrainPop quiz https://www.brainpop.com/ We would start out by watching a short BrainPop movie that matched the lesson topic and then students would "grade" their own notebook check sheets. Students were asked to check off what they had done and give themselves an "X," if they had not completed work, or were missing items that were supposed to be in their binder, or lab notebook. When you look as the notebook check sheets, you will see that the sheets list what should have been handed in, what should be in their science binder, and what should be in their lab notebook. The goal was to receive "Zero" X's. Students were given 10 participation points for completing the notebook check sheet and 10 points for the BrainPop quiz. We went over the answers, so most students enjoyed the activity because they got an easy "A" and yes, high school sophomores do like BrainPop. Older students could complete puzzles or readings - I just didn't want the back of the paper to go to waste, so that we were learning all the time. Because I weighted the grades, the participation points only added slightly to a student's grade. The parent signature was optional extra credit. Did students cheat on these sheets? Yes, and some learned that there were natural negative consequences from doing that. Mostly from when their parents found out that there were notebook check sheets that their child was supposed to be sharing, after a call home about falling or failing grades, open house, or conferences!
I hope that you will look at the notebook check sheets and come up with your own ideas about activities to teach and how to organize your lessons. If you use Schoology, maybe they can be modified for use online by students and parents.
Notebook Check Sheets for Biology I, 1st Semester 2015-2016
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mFbmU_yvqp1xJZTHFHQXoapQSetNTOIg/view?usp=sharing
Notebook Check Sheets for Biology I, 2nd Semester 2016
https://drive.google.com/file/d/14x2n6PvXjnUiFg9_fUtAG6nIRXPfih0D/view?usp=sharing
The Textbook referred to in the notebook check sheets is:
SEPUP. (2011). Science and Global Issues: Biology. Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California at Berkeley. Published by Lab-Aids, Inc., Ronkonkoma NY
I also used this textbook and the supplemental materials: Biggs, Alton et al. 1999. Glencoe Biology, The Dynamics of Life, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. ISBN-10:0028282426
There are some activities mentioned that you can find on this Blogger website. Post a comment if you have a question, I will gladly try to assist you.
CURRICULUM MAPS
During one of my observations, my supervisor played a trick on me. He asked if I had a curriculum map. I did not and was not familiar with them. Neither was anyone in the entire school! My supervisor put me on an improvement plan and I was given the task to create a curriculum map. He sent emailed me a template for making a curriculum map and he asked me to purchase the following book, telling me that I would be reimbursed for my expense (I was not!):
Jacobs, Heidi Hayes. 1997. Mapping the Big Picture: Integrating Curriculum and Assessment K-12. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Alexandria, Virginia USA. 72 pp. plus sample curriculum maps. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6068437625
Following examples in the book, I created my own curriculum maps, which outlined and provided a yearly plans, with supporting details, for the course work that I would be presenting to my students. The notebook check sheets that I had been using were helpful in constructing the maps. I found the maps useful in outlining a plan for the school year. Before I emailed the first curriculum map that I made back to my supervisor, I printed out a copy for myself. When I did that, I found out that his name printed out in the hidden footer of the map! I eventually then discovered that all of this curriculum mapping was part of a course that he was himself taking. He took my curriculum map and showed it off, bragging about how talented the teachers were at our school!!! I am providing links to some of my curriculum maps so that you can see what I came up with. Maybe you will find them helpful and can create your own, so that you have bragging rights about how organized that you are in your planning. These are not the Student Learning Maps that come from Learning-Focused training and toolbox.
Coordinated Science, Grade 10: Nature of Science, Astronomy, Evolution, Genetics, Molecular Biology, Chemistry
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fRKPciZrms9ZOgBjOo-4ZJvDDiKtj7Y8/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XNriQ2e5xUSRZK97iOEyRWtI9vwjuC2G/view?usp=sharing
Coordinated Science, Grade 10: Biology I
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YWOrCjXW4iBh3w5dr4m61uYDwI4m-irW/view?usp=sharing
Here is a template for curriculum mapping:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Rhz8lQ_Kp7cGreMhAWnzwCQ9Z4GIAsfA/view?usp=sharing
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